THE National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) employees’ strike that began on the first day of December demanding better pay structures and amenities entered its second week without any signs of an amicable solution to the problem. On Dec 8, 1966 the West Pakistan Industrial Court, Karachi, confirmed its interim order of Dec 5 directing the NBP workers to call off the strike and resume work. In a press statement, the bank’s union, however, said that they would continue with their eight-day protest until their demands were met.

The bank employees were not the only ones who were feeling a little hot-headed. On Dec 9, the police arrested 13 people following a clash between two rival groups in the shipyard. Over 40 workers were injured, three of whom sustained serious head injuries and were rushed to the Civil Hospital Karachi. Bad blood had been brewing between members of two unions — the Karachi Shipyard Workmen Union and the Karachi Shipyard Workers Union — since Sept 12 when the registration of the latter was cancelled. The blame game had begun, resulting in a bloody clash on Dec 9.

Shakespeare says: “When sorrows come, they come not in single spies but in battalions.” To carry on with the theme of untoward happenings in the city, on Dec 5 more than 200 people were rendered homeless in a fire that burnt 40 huts in the Paposhnagar area. Six fire engines fought the flames for two hours and were able to extinguish them. But the damage had been done.

It sounds strange to say that by that time the winter season had not yet fully set in. Summer had lingered on for an unusually longish period (no surprises for modern-day Karachiites though). Yes, that’s exactly how it was. People, especially flower lovers, were bemoaning the lingering summer because it had delayed rose blossoms in the city. Horticulturists complained that the unduly prolonged summer had held up the pruning of the roses by about a fortnight. Then all of a sudden the first signs of winter began to emerge as cold winds started to blow. So the pruning was done hurriedly. Some of the delay was made up by the sudden onrush of winter that made Dec 1 one of the coldest days in the history of the city. Now roses in many gardens were in boom. This newspaper published a photograph of the prize roses (daily sketch of Northern Ireland) from the garden of a house in KDA scheme No 1. It cut a pretty picture.

This meant that the horticulturists’ complaint was addressed by the benevolent Mother Nature. Well, a government institution, too, was thinking about being benevolent. In the beginning of the week, the Karachi Development Authority opened a complaint counter to address people’s problems. On Dec 9 the KDA in a press release said barely a dozen complaints had been received since it inaugurated the counter. The KDA had resolved to look into each application thoroughly and said it would give an interim reply to the complainant within 15 days. Sadly, the people’s response to the offer was lukewarm. Try doing that today KDA, and you will definitely get a better response.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2016